As a trustee of the Society for Clinical Data Management (SCDM), Paul Clarkson is the archetype of the data manager who understands the largest issues affecting clinical development. As director of data management at Genentech, he’s been thinking about how data managers can help their organizations develop better protocols. 

The burden of day-to-day responsibilities does not always allow for appropriate reflection on the future. The Society for Clinical Data Management is trying to address that next month in its annual Leadership Forum. Held in Durham this year, it’s for senior-level executives. Space is limited. 

Gartner’s Carol Rozwell is one of the industry’s leading authorities on technology adoption and clinical data standards. In this illuminating interview with ClinPage editor Mark Uehling, she discusses why some organizations hesitate to use CDISC standards and how some contract research organizations (CRO) have recently begun to see data standards differently.